Euclid
[Title in Greek: Stoicheion biblia ie]; Euclidis Elementorum libri XV Rome: Antonio Blado, 1545. soft cover. Very Good/A Greek edition of Euclid that includes, by design, the Propositions only (without proofs or diagrams). The Sixteenth Century believed that the Demonstrations were the work of a later commentator, a belief that was disproved by Henry Savile early in the 1600s. In true Humanist fashion, the editor of this text, Angelo Caiano, sought to pare away later accretions considered extraneous to the original text, leaving the Propositions only. & & The printer, Antonio Blado, has not inherited the popular recognition that fell to his contemporary peers, Paolo Manuzio and Bernardo and Benedetto Giunta. This repressed fame is due in part to Blado's onerous obligations as printer to the Apostolic Camera. Nevertheless, he took initiative, under patronage of Cardinals Farnese and Cervini, to produce fine humanist editions of Greek texts, both classical and patristic, from manuscripts in the Vatican Library. For this project, he studied Greek typography with Paolo Manuzio, gathered an impressive working group of Greek scholars, and entered into a sort of partnership with the Giunta. The venture ran out of money after only a few remarkable and high-priced editions. In order to bring matters under control, Blado commissioned a smaller Greek font from Giovanni Onorio Magliese, head of the Vatican Library's Greek division. The new Greek types make their debut in this volume of Euclid, which Blado struck of his own accord apart from the larger project. He called in the humanist Angelo Caiano to prepare the Greek text and produce an Italian translation, published as a "companion volume" (Thomas-Stanford) the same year. The volume was dedicated to the 24-year-old Antonio Altoviti, later Bishop of Florence and secretary to Pope Paul III. The result is the first Greek edition of a Euclidian text printed in Italy, preceded only by the Basel editio princeps of 1533 and the Paris edition of 1536. & . 14cm; [109], [3 blank] pages. Text in Greek (except the dedicatory epistle from Angelo Caiano to Antonio Altoviti, in Latin). Woodcut portrait figure on title page; woodcut historiated initial. Bound in contemporary flexible vellum with overlapping fore-edges. Binding quite soiled with long split along upper joint, peeling a bit onto spine. Text clean, bright, with good margins and no blemishes. References: Thomas-Stanford, #26; Adams, E-996.
[Bookseller: Rodger Friedman Rare Book Studio]